This week many media outlets have reported that American workers will be either working as usual on Monday, July 3, or taking that day off, along with Tuesday, July 4, to create a four-day weekend. The only bad news in the latter scenario is that these folks will, more than likely, be using this longer weekend in place of a week-long or longer vacation later in the year. This aligns with a trend that was also reported this week: On average, Americans leave at least four vacation days unclaimed each year.
Green Bay, Wisconsin's Press-Gazette cited a recent statewide poll that found that 51 percent of employees will be working regular hours on Monday, July 3. Only 4 percent of the 164 respondents said their place of business would have shortened hours that day, and another 4 percent said their business would be partially staffed.
In neighboring Michigan, Purt Huron's Times-Herald reported that at an employee in the human services department for the state would be coming in to work as usual on July 3, covering the work of her peers, who will be out that day. This echoes the overall message of the article – namely, that some businesses can't take any days off, either out of necessity or simply the risk of missing out on good business.
If you own or lead a small or midsized business, where do you stand on this issue? Is it better to give employees a well-deserved break over a divided holiday weekend such as July 4 this year? Or is it better to ensure the bottom line is met and have at least some employees present over the holiday?
— Winning Workplaces, June 30, 2006 | Add your thoughts